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Meet the Students: Elena
Classes start tomorrow, bringing an end to this campaign. We have been very successful so far, and with $8,315 raised, our reach goal of $9,000 is attainable. Any funds raised over that amount will allow us to offer more professional development grants and events, and ensure we have sufficient funds for an increased Excellence Award next academic year. We welcome new students Luke and Luca to our program this semester, and are looking forward to seeing them learn and become regional experts. Thank you again for your generosity so far, and please continue to share our students' stories as we enter the final push.
Meet the Students: Elena
Hometown: San Jose, California
Research focus: With a regional focus on the western Balkans, my research at Ohio State so far has centered around [1] neo-Ottomanism, especially regarding the restoration or (re)construction of mosques and other Islamic institutions; and [2] the creation, definition, and propagation of nationalism through everyday cultural objects like cookbooks.
Languages: Bosnian-Croatian-Serbian (BCS), modern Turkish, and Albanian
Favorite word in one of the languages I study: for a 3-in-1, I’d have to choose çorap (Turkish, Albanian) or čarapa (BCS), which means “sock.” Besides being a useful word for me to know in any foreign language, since I bring my sock-knitting to campus most days, çorap/čarapa come from the same Ottoman Turkish word and reflect well what I study: the legacies of the Ottomans and the (cultural) transition from empire to nation-states within the western Balkans.
Favorite procrastination activity: anything that feels productive and is adjacent to my academic work, like losing three hours of an afternoon learning about the typology of Balkan tower houses or the characteristics of Ottoman vernacular architecture in the region. I just really like looking at floor plans and, sometimes, I end up recreating Atatürk’s birthplace (Thessaloniki, Greece) or the Romanesque House (Poreč, Croatia) in the Sims.
Meet the Students: Owen
Thank you for your continued generosity! With eight days left until the end of the campaign (and the start of the academic year), we have raised $7,850 to support CSEEES students. We will be able to offer at least two professional development awards in fall and spring, and can promise the spring's Excellence Award winners $800 each. Raising $9,000 in this campaign would allow us to promise a $1,000 Excellence Award for the spring semester. Please continue to like, donate and share the stories of the students you are supporting. This week, you get to meet Owen who is CSEEES' Graduate Student Representative for the 2026-27 academic year.
Meet the Students: Owen
Hometown: Brunswick, OH
Research focus: My current research focus primarily is on Romanian and Moldovan modern history, politics, and culture. I’ve yet to narrow down a specific topic for my research, but I’ve been very interested in the relationship between national and ethnic identities throughout the region and the effects of migration on these processes.
Languages: I’ve been studying Romanian for one year now, and most recently I spent the summer in Moldova, where I was able to complete another intensive study while also living my daily life there using Romanian. This fall, I’ll be starting Russian, and whenever I tell Russian speakers that, they always tell me good luck…
Favorite word in one of the languages you study (and why): Înghețată (ice cream) because originally, when I first started learning Romanian, I could NOT say this word, no matter how many times I tried. It was one of the first words we learned in my class when going through the alphabet, and I have no idea what made it impossible for me, but anyone around me at that time probably remembers me repeating it non-stop. Now it's my favorite because it is fun to say, and I had a lot of practice when ordering it a billion times during the heat waves this summer!
Favorite class at Ohio State so far: My favorite class so far has been Mapping Migrations with Pani Diana (Dr. Sacilowski) because beyond it being a very interesting and important topic, it was a class that led to me presenting (for the first time) a paper at Midwest Slavic this past semester. Beyond that, almost all the CSEEES MA students took the class together, so it was a great opportunity for all of us to get to know each other better and to see each other outside of random events.
Favorite near-campus hangout spot: There are so many places around campus that I like going to in my free time but most recently my roommates and our friends got into the habit of going to Arch City Tavern every Monday for their Burger Mondays. I have no idea what it is about them but they're genuinely the best burgers I've ever had, apologies for the unsubtle advertising.
Favorite procrastination activity: Although from an outside perspective we might all look hard at work, my favorite way to procrastinate usually involves yapping with the rest of the cohort in Hagerty while we repeatedly tell ourselves, “Ok, I need to work now.”
Meet the Students: Tomas
Thank you, donors! With your generous support, we met our goal 18 days early and have so far raised $7,600. You are an incredible community. With the funds raised so far, a $1,000 scholarship has been sent to the student account of each Excellence Award recipient to help defray the cost of the autumn semester. For each $600 raised over the campaign goal, we are able to increase the promised amount of the Spring Excellence Award by $100 per student. Those who earn the award for next semester will now receive at least $700 each to help pay for their studies in spring. With full tuition reaching over $23,000 for those from out-of-state, your support makes a difference in allowing these stellar students to continue their education and become the next generation of regional experts. Please share this campaign and our students' stories.
Meet the Students: Tomas
Research focus: International security, governance, and political development in the Caucasus and Central Asia.
Language: Russian
Favorite word in one of the languages you study: Буратино (Buratino) — One of the first Russian words I learned. At a New Year’s party, my Spanish mom said I had a borrachino (“tipsy”) face. Our Russian-speaking friend heard "Buratino", and explained it meant Pinocchio in Russian, and jokingly asked if I was lying about how many drinks I’d had. That mix-up made the word unforgettable.
Favorite class at Ohio State so far: Political Science 7334: International Organization
Favorite near-campus hangout spot: La Chaveta Cigar Lounge
Favorite procrastination activity: Playing chess online
Goal met!
But we can do more...
Our community is incredible! We met and surpassed our goal with 18 days left in the campaign. Additional funds raised will allow us to raise the dollar amount of scholarships for the spring semester, offer professionalization grants to a greater number of students, and host more on-campus events. Every $600 raised over the goal allows us to promise an additional $100 for Excellence Award recipients this spring.
Thank you!
Meet the Students: Parker
We're over halfway to our goal, with 22 days left in our campaign. Thank you for your support so far! Please continue to share the campaign to support students like Parker!
Meet the Students: Parker
Hometown: I am from Urbana which is a tiny town in the middle of nowhere Indiana. As someone from a small town, moving to Columbus was both so exciting and very scary! I have fallen in love with being at Ohio State and living in the Columbus area. The nearest major city to me was Fort Wayne so being in Columbus and getting to experience city life has been a very fun adventure. I try to experience new things every chance I get. This past year I have explored the Olentangy Trail, German Village, and become a major Blue Jackets fan!
Research focus: My research focus is on Jewish childhood during the Holocaust in Poland. My thesis centers on Jewish children’s education systems within the Łódź ghetto. Outside of Jewish studies, I spend a lot of time studying Polish culture and history. In fall 2025, I took a course on Socialist Film and have developed a great interest in Polish films. For those looking for a Polish horror film recommendation I loved Wilczyca. For classic Polish cinema, I recommend Andrzej Wajda’s war trilogy; Kanal is a personal favorite.
Languages: The languages I study at Ohio State are Yiddish and Polish. In the spring, I finished my fourth semester of Yiddish and will be continuing with Yiddish literature this year. I finished first year Polish this past year and will be taking another year. Due to the generous support of CSEEES and the Department of Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures I received a scholarship to fund my Polish studies at Indiana University’s Summer Language Workshop. I plan to go on to a Ph.D. where I will build upon the amazing language foundation that I have developed here.
Favorite word in one of the languages you study: In Yiddish, I do not have a favorite word, but I do have a favorite phrase. In transliteration it is iz deyn tate a fenster maker which means “Is your father a window maker?” It is used when someone is blocking your view and is the Yiddish equivalent to the English phrase “You make a better door than a window.” I love it because all my Yiddish classmates and I say it to each other. We will often change the “window” part to be any random word to make each other laugh. In Polish, my favorite word is świetnie which means great or excellent. I love this word since it is my go-to word for when anyone asks me how I am doing or the quality of something. It was one of the first words I learned and has become a part of my daily vocabulary.
Favorite class at Ohio State so far: My favorite classes at Ohio State have been my Polish classes. They have been my most challenging classes so far, but I have been loving the challenge. One of my favorite parts of being in school is learning and with Polish there is something new to learn every day.
Favorite near-campus hangout spot: When I am not on campus, I can usually be found studying in one of the nearby coffee shops. I love how accessible everything is from campus. I do a lot of exploring by just walking around downtown. I also love attending Blue Jackets games at Nationwide Arena. On Ohio State hockey game days, I can be found in the student section cheering them on. Another one of my favorite on-campus activities is exploring campus; there is always something new to see or do. I have been caught walking loops around the oval while procrastinating on papers.
Meet the Students: Quinn
Meet the Students: Quinn
Hometown: I was born in Orlando, Florida and lived there for 6 or 7 years. After that I lived in Southern Ohio until 2018 when I transferred from Ohio University to Ohio State. I've lived in Columbus ever since and have been a student at OSU the entire time.
Languages: Russian, Ukrainian
Favorite word in one of the languages you study: борода Honestly, I just like how it sounds. Too bad conversations about beards don't come up too often.
Favorite procrastination activity: Walking my dog! I find that going outside, especially when it's warm, is a great way for me to clear my head and find a new way to approach a problem.
Educational journey: I started at Ohio University as a biochemistry major and quickly switched to a microbiology major. Then I began to research what jobs one could get with a B.S. in microbiology and was shocked by how limited the options were. I discovered that the people working in hospital labs have a specific degree, and that Ohio State had that program. So, in fall 2018 I began my academic career at OSU.
Because I changed my major so much, I didn't graduate until spring 2021. Around summer 2021 I decided to pursue becoming a medical doctor. However, my freshman year I had a bad GPA. That year the only As I had were in my Russian language classes. I initially took Russian for a foreign language requirement, however, in that year I attended several cultural events and became more interested in the region. My senior year I took Slavic Folklore with Dr. Collins for fun, which re-ignited my interest in the region. After graduation I immediately started working full-time at the blood bank. Since I was working, I continued taking classes without worrying about paying tuition. In Fall 2021, I decided to get another degree to improve my med school application. I thought that a balance of science and humanities classes would improve my academic performance. I ended up getting a B.S. in Zoology with a minor in Russian.
The minor in Russian came about from my culture courses and needing a second year of a language. I took second year Russian about 6 years after my first year of Russian and I had not engaged with the language at all during that gap. Needless to say, that 2nd year was rough! Despite doing significantly better in my second degree, I didn't feel like my med school application was robust enough, so I decided to do the dual degree with CSEEES and the Bioethics Department with a graduate minor in Anatomy. My thesis needs to be a combination of both area studies and bioethics topics. My topic is a comparison of regulatory agencies and approaches to bacteriophage therapy. I also plan to analyze the ways that bacteriophage therapy access is a factor of health equity. Finally, I plan to assess the ethical obligations of international cooperation regarding clinical research and resources.
Unfortunately, because of cuts to FLAS I am back to working full time, and over the summer have been working two jobs. I used up a lot of my savings during my first two years for regular expenses (Columbus is rather expensive to live in, especially with pets) and to attend/present at conferences. I am hopeful that I'll be able to complete my thesis to graduate in spring. However, it will be difficult with other obligations such as presenting at conferences, volunteering, normal classes, studying for the MCAT, preparing my medical school application, and of course now needing to work full-time.
Challenge met!
Thanks to your support we have met all three of our matching challenges, and the additional $1,500 will be received by CSEEES. When these are finalized, we will have raised $3,150! Thanks so much to our donors and the supporters who offered to match your donations.
Though donations will no longer be doubled, future contributions of any size still mean a great deal, allowing CSEEES students to continue their studies and the Center to continue our work. Our goal remains to raise $6,000 by the first day of classes, August 25. Please continue to share this campaign with others who believe in the value of language learning, international education, and preparing globally minded leaders.
Second Match Met!
In our first 24 hours, we have raised $1,700, earning matching funds from our director and a generous alum. This support will make a huge difference to our students next year, but need still remains. There is still $300 to go that will be matched by friends of the Center.
First Match Met!
On our first day, we have already met our first milestone. With 5 donors donating $100 or more, the director's match has been fulfilled. Thanks so much to our first group of donors for getting the campaign off to a strong start!
$80
ASEEES
$80 covers a two-year student membership to the Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies, the professional organization for our field
$150
Cohort Gathering
$150 buys pizza and pop for a cohort gathering or film screening
$300
Professional Development Award
$300 provides a CSEEES student with a professional development grant to attend a conference
$500
Excellence Award
The CSEEES Excellence Award promises students who meet the criteria a minimum of $500, though we hope to increase that amount through this campaign
$2,000
Graduate FLAS Stipend
Graduate and Professional Students awarded Foreign Language and Area Studies Fellowships received a $2,000 stipend each month to cover their living expenses
